Starburst
by Lark R. Starling
Summary: Amaterasu, a teenage psychic and rumored appetizing delicacy for demons, doesn't know what to do after the death of her demon-slaying big brother. Maybe a certain short-tempered fire demon can help? OC x Hiei
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT own any of the Yuyu Hakusho characters. Not a one.

* * *

Amaterasu Okami (nickname: Tera)  
**Age:** Probably around eighteen or nineteen (she doesn't know for sure)  
**Race:** Human with psychic abilities (ability to lock and unlock any lock, and precognition)  
**Eyes:** Left - brown; right - gold  
**Hair:** Black

I ran wildly, my breath coming in short gasps. I had no time to stop and catch my breath, because I could already hear the footsteps gaining on me. It felt like someone was jamming a knife into my side below my ribcage. My goal was just ahead…

There. An underground, steel room. I slid to my knees beside the entrance. It was locked, of course, just like I had last left it. I slammed my hand on the lock, and instantly, it clicked. I threw open the door, and jumped in. I pressed my hand once again on the lock, and it snapped locked again. Safe in this little room, I finally had the opportunity to relax.

The demons had been awfully persistent. I didn't understand why. They'd already killed my brother, Susano, months ago. So what interest did they have in me? Personal revenge, maybe? Akira would never have been able to kill as many demons as he had without my help.

I looked longingly at the small metal cot to the right of me. I hadn't slept for days…How wonderful it would be to just collapse right now…Indeed, I was stuck here until the demons left, so why not? Happily, I sank on the cot and was asleep in seconds.

When I awoke, I had no idea what time it was, or how long I'd slept since I couldn't see the sun. I was dreadfully hungry, which probably meant I had slept for a very long time. There was food down in this little shelter, but I really wasn't in the mood for canned tuna and dried fruit. I concentrated a moment, trying to sense the demon auras.

They were gone. Or, should I say, not in the range of my senses. Another option was that they had masked their aura somehow, and I would be slain the instant I set foot outside my steel room.

I reached out and touched the steel hatch. Not to unlock it, but to see if I could get a premonition. I blinked, and images flashed before my eyes.

_I climbed out of the hatch, warily looking around. There was no sign of the demons, and I didn't think they could hide from my senses _this_ well. I started walking across the grass towards Tokyo, before taking off in a run, just in case._

I opened my eyes, my head clearing of the vision. I sighed, pleased. I was pretty sure they had left, leaving my death for another day. With my hand still on the steel hatch, I unlocked it. I stepped out, reenacting my vision to the slightest detail. My premonitions always came true, in one way or another.

I didn't stop running until I got to town. My brother may have had the brawn, but I definitely had the speed. I reached the city in no time, barely panting. People were looking around at me, but as I slowed my breathing and kept my strange eyes down to the ground, they didn't stare too long.

I quickly walked to my favorite restaurant, a small noodle shop. The employees could recognize me on sight, and knew what my 'usual' was. I sat down to enjoy it.

"Amaterasu?" A nervous voice asked, while I was in the middle of slurping down a noodle. I awkwardly sucked the rest in my mouth before glancing up. A skinny boy, named Nobuyo, who worked at the restaurant was standing by my table, looking extremely anxious.

"You can call me Tera, Nobu. May I help you with something?"

"Um…" Nobuyo started to fidget with his apron. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner with me Saturday night?"

I smiled politely at Nobuyo. I truly did like him, but not in that way. "You're a really nice person, but Nobu…I _really_ don't think I'm your type."

His expression was confused, and slightly hurt. "What do you mean…?"

I sighed, and then tried to tactfully explain. "Well, it's…You see, we have different interests, and I'm not the girl you probably think I am…"

Nobuyo nodded sadly. "I see. Well, I'll talk to you later, Amaterasu…"

I sighed again, sorry I had had to hurt him. I found I had rather lost my appetite. I paid for my meal, and left, walking to home.

Home wasn't the shelter outside of Tokyo. Home was a small, one bedroom apparent in the quiet part of town. That is, if there was such a thing in Tokyo. My neighbors kept to themselves, and the landlord was lenient. I rather enjoyed it, except when demons came to hunt me. And…When I realized just how lonely I was.

I ignored that for a moment, and set some candles about to relax me. I sat down in the middle of the floor of my bedroom, and closed my eyes. I breathed in, out, and felt my mind seep into the subconscious.

I don't remember how long I was in the trance-like meditation, but when I roused myself, I felt much calmer. Almost as if the chase with the demons the day before had never happened. Unfortunately, when my stress caught up with me, it was going to say otherwise. Maybe a nice bath and a night on the town…

* * *

Name:

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT own any of the Yuyu Hakusho characters. Not a one.

**Please do NOT review on this chapter or subsequent chapters if you plan on criticizing my writing style, English technicalities, content, OCCness, or _anything_ of the sort**

Name: Amaterasu Okami (nickname: Tera)  
**Age:** Probably around eighteen or nineteen (she doesn't know for sure)  
**Race:** Human with psychic abilities (ability to lock and unlock any lock, and precognition)  
**Eyes:** Left - brown; right - gold  
**Hair:** Black

I ran wildly, my breath coming in short gasps. I had no time to stop and catch my breath, because I could already hear the footsteps gaining on me. It felt like someone was jamming a knife into my side below my ribcage. My goal was just ahead…

There. An underground, steel room. I slid to my knees beside the entrance. It was locked, of course, just like I had last left it. I slammed my hand on the lock, and instantly, it clicked. I threw open the door, and jumped in. I pressed my hand once again on the lock, and it snapped locked again. Safe in this little room, I finally had the opportunity to relax.

The demons had been awfully persistent. I didn't understand why. They'd already killed my brother, Susano, months ago. So what interest did they have in me? Personal revenge, maybe? Akira would never have been able to kill as many demons as he had without my help.

I looked longingly at the small metal cot to the right of me. I hadn't slept for days…How wonderful it would be to just collapse right now…Indeed, I was stuck here until the demons left, so why not? Happily, I sank on the cot and was asleep in seconds.

When I awoke, I had no idea what time it was, or how long I'd slept since I couldn't see the sun. I was dreadfully hungry, which probably meant I had slept for a very long time. There was food down in this little shelter, but I really wasn't in the mood for canned tuna and dried fruit. I concentrated a moment, trying to sense the demon auras.

They were gone. Or, should I say, not in the range of my senses. Another option was that they had masked their aura somehow, and I would be slain the instant I set foot outside my steel room.

I reached out and touched the steel hatch. Not to unlock it, but to see if I could get a premonition. I blinked, and images flashed before my eyes.

_I climbed out of the hatch, warily looking around. There was no sign of the demons, and I didn't think they could hide from my senses _this_ well. I started walking across the grass towards Tokyo, before taking off in a run, just in case._

I opened my eyes, my head clearing of the vision. I sighed, pleased. I was pretty sure they had left, leaving my death for another day. With my hand still on the steel hatch, I unlocked it. I stepped out, reenacting my vision to the slightest detail. My premonitions always came true, in one way or another.

I didn't stop running until I got to town. My brother may have had the brawn, but I definitely had the speed. I reached the city in no time, barely panting. People were looking around at me, but as I slowed my breathing and kept my strange eyes down to the ground, they didn't stare too long.

I quickly walked to my favorite restaurant, a small noodle shop. The employees could recognize me on sight, and knew what my 'usual' was. I sat down to enjoy it.

"Amaterasu?" A nervous voice asked, while I was in the middle of slurping down a noodle. I awkwardly sucked the rest in my mouth before glancing up. A skinny boy, named Nobuyo, who worked at the restaurant was standing by my table, looking extremely anxious.

"You can call me Tera, Nobu. May I help you with something?"

"Um…" Nobuyo started to fidget with his apron. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner with me Saturday night?"

I smiled politely at Nobuyo. I truly did like him, but not in that way. "You're a really nice person, but Nobu…I _really_ don't think I'm your type."

His expression was confused, and slightly hurt. "What do you mean…?"

I sighed, and then tried to tactfully explain. "Well, it's…You see, we have different interests, and I'm not the girl you probably think I am…"

Nobuyo nodded sadly. "I see. Well, I'll talk to you later, Amaterasu…"

I sighed again, sorry I had had to hurt him. I found I had rather lost my appetite. I paid for my meal, and left, walking to home.

Home wasn't the shelter outside of Tokyo. Home was a small, one bedroom apparent in the quiet part of town. That is, if there was such a thing in Tokyo. My neighbors kept to themselves, and the landlord was lenient. I rather enjoyed it, except when demons came to hunt me. And…When I realized just how lonely I was.

I ignored that for a moment, and set some candles about to relax me. I sat down in the middle of the floor of my bedroom, and closed my eyes. I breathed in, out, and felt my mind seep into the subconscious.

I don't remember how long I was in the trance-like meditation, but when I roused myself, I felt much calmer. Almost as if the chase with the demons the day before had never happened. Unfortunately, when my stress caught up with me, it was going to say otherwise. Maybe a nice bath and a night on the town…

* * *

Thank you for taking the time to read! Please be civil in your reviewing, or I ask that you do not review.


	2. Chapter 2

I tousled my long wet hair, thinking of letting it air dry. I slipped on jeans and a t-shirt, which was something easy to run in. Might as well be prepared, although the attacks were usually spread out by more than two days.

I paused in front of the bathroom mirror, studying my image. I didn't really like what I saw. I was too short, and too skinny, and far too pale. I had silky black hair down to my waist, which was usually worn in a braid. I had a more curve-less figure than most women my age. Not that I exactly knew how old I was, but whatever. My features were dainty, and I was the kind of girl that looked cuter pouting than smiling. But my eyes…Were my most intriguing - and embarrassing - feature I had.

My left one was a deep brown, which could be as clear as honey, or as dark as mud, depending on my mood at the time. The right one was a bright gold; so dazzling that it seemed to shimmer like a diamond. It was where my psychic powers came from, I was sure. My brother's left one had been gold, and his right blue. I can't remember all the times I had gotten teased when I was younger. But now, people just stared as if I was horrifically deformed. I slipped on sunglasses, and stepped outside the apartment complex.

I didn't know where to go. It wasn't exactly like I had friends. I had already eaten, but the sun hadn't set yet. I sauntered to the bookstore, thinking I might check if they had anything of interest in. My favorites were mythology.

They did. A new one about the Greek gods. And unfortunately, it was on a shelf just _barely_ out of my reach. I strained, standing on the tips on my toes, trying to reach it. Just a few more inches…

A pale hand wrapped in cloth reached above mine, sliding the book out. I dropped back down, turning around to face the owner of the hand. He was only a few inches taller than me, and I think he was slender, although a large black cloak covered his body. He was pale, with deep red eyes and black hair There was a curious 'starburst' of white hair above his forehead. Below his spiky hair was a white headband, wrapped around his forehead. His features were very angular, but they had quite an attractive air to them. I bowed, thanking him as he handed the book to me.

"No problem," he replied, turning to walk away. Just as he turned, a beyond-gorgeous redhead walked out from between the aisles, carrying several books under his arm. He looked at us, and smiled.

"Make a new friend, Hiei?" The redhead asked. I assumed that meant that 'Hiei' was the dark-haired one's name. Although he was taller than me, he was still rather short compared to the redhead.

"Hn," Hiei replied. He didn't even look back at me.

The redhead approached me, and smiled. "My name is Shuichi Minamino." He said politely. "Who might you be?" His amazingly green eyes penetrated mine.

I bowed deeply at him to hide the flush spreading across my cheeks. "Amaterasu Okami." I said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Hiei scoffed at the sound of my name, and I considered being insulted, but it seemed like Hiei was the type to just act cold and distant to everyone. Maybe I shouldn't take it so personally.

"That's an interesting name," Shuichi scrutinized me, staring into my eyes. Embarrassed, I looked down, but Shuichi tilted my head up so I was forced to look at him again.

"You have amazing eyes," he commented, "I don't think I've ever seen a pair quite like them."

"They're rare," I agreed. I was hoping he wasn't going to make some awful crack about the color having been bleed out of my right eye.

"It's lovely," Shuichi replied. He turned to look back at Hiei. "Don't you think so?"

"Hn," Hiei said. I frowned.

I leaned closer to Shuichi. "Is that all he can say?" I whispered quietly. Shuichi laughed, while Hiei shot me an annoyed look.

"He's shy," Shuichi replied, his voice full of mirth.

"_Kurama_," Hiei snarled. I blinked in confusion. Kurama…The mountain?

Shuichi chuckled, and began to lead Hiei out of the bookstore. "We'll see you later, Amaterasu," he called back to me. I smiled and waved, not bothering to correct him on my name. Would I ever see them again?

I looked down at the tile floor of the bookstore after the two of them left. There was a length of white cloth. I think it was the same one that Hiei had been wearing around his forehead. Puzzled, I picked it up, and looked around for the two boys. They were nowhere in sight.

**************

I thought about the two strange boys quite a lot over the next few days. As far as I can remember, Shuichi had been the first person since my own family to say my eyes were 'amazing' instead of 'freaky.' I must admit, it had made quite an impression on me. I'd really have liked to see them again.

Besides, I had to return Hiei's headband. I glanced at my right arm. I had tied the headband around my right arm in a crisscross pattern from my elbow to my wrist, so that if I did even run into Hiei by accident again, I could give it to him.

I opened my fridge, to find that I was running quite low on food. I sighed. I didn't much enjoy grocery shopping, but what else could I do? Grabbing my coat, I walked out the front door.

I didn't even own a house key. It's not like I needed one. I closed my hand around the doorknob, and it clicked as it locked. I stepped out to the sidewalk, heading down the street to the grocery store.

**************

I walked through the aisles of the store, picking up the items I needed. My mind wandered randomly, my thoughts passing from the two boys, to my shopping list, to my brother, and so on. I reached up for a box of rice crackers. It was on a high shelf, but not so high that I couldn't reach it. But before I could, once again, a pale hand wrapped in cloth took it off the shelf for me. I spun around in shock.

"Hiei!" I cried in surprise, as he handed the box to me.

"Hn," he replied. I saw Shuichi walking towards us.

"Amaterasu! It's a pleasure to see you again," he said amiably.

"Oh, the pleasure's mine!" I bowed. "And please, call me Tera. 'Amaterasu' can be quite a mouthful."

"Tera?" Shuichi asked. "That's pretty." He looked over at Hiei. "Don't you think so?"

It was exactly like when Shuichi had asked Hiei about my eyes. I expected Hiei to reply with his signature 'Hn,' but instead, he nodded. I could tell that Shuichi was just as surprised as I was. A moment later, he quietly laughed, and leaned towards me.

"I think you're a good influence on him," Shuichi whispered. I could almost feel Hiei's fiery glare aiming at the two of us.

"Oh!" I said, suddenly remembering the cloth I had wrapped around my arm. Shuichi drew away from me in surprise as I pulled up the sleeve of my coat. I began to pull the white cloth off my arm.

"Here, Hiei, you dropped this the other day…" I started, before Hiei's pale hand stopped my own from unwinding the cloth.

"It looks better on you," he said. I noticed that he already had a new cloth tied around his forehead.

His touch ignited something in me, something bad. I knew the feeling.

"Demons!" I shrieked, leaping back. I smacked into a shelf, and boxes of crackers came tumbling down on me. I slid to the floor, feeling new bruises spring up all over.

"Tera!" Shuichi yelled in shock. He and Hiei began to push the boxes off of me. "Are you alright?"

I flinched away when he reached out a hand to help me up. "Demons!" I gasped. "You're demons!"

"How do you know that?" Hiei snapped. His voice was full of danger, and I was terrified for my life. But somehow, I felt obliged to answer.

People were looking down the aisle, muttering and wondering if we were okay. I tried to keep my voice low. "I'm a psychic. My brother used to be a demon slayer. What do you want from me?"

Shuichi looked alarmed. "Nothing!" He glanced over at the people milling about. "Look, let's get you out of here. We'll explain everything."

He grabbed my arm, ignoring my gasp of fright as I cam in contact with his demonic aura. He began to pull me from the store, leaving the mess and our groceries behind.


	3. Chapter 3

Shuichi led me to an open field, and by some tremendous luck, it was the same one my steel demon shelter was located in. I don't know if I could outrun them if I tried, but if these two turned out to be dangerous, I was certainly going to try.

I settled myself in the grass, kneeling so I could spring to my feet in an instant if I had to. Hiei stayed standing, stoically staring at me. Shuichi crouched down in front of me.

"Look, Tera…" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's true that we're demons, but we're not the bad kind…"

I frowned. "Oddly, I don't find that very believable, not to mention comforting." I responded.

Shuichi smiled dryly. "No, I don't suppose you would. Especially if you've lived your whole life being afraid of demons."

I smiled, not able to resist the urge to tease a little. "Well, it certainly doesn't help your race's case that demons have been trying to kill me since I was born."

"And in our defense," Hiei retorted, surprising me, "you smell irresistibly tasty."

I blinked, while Shuichi glared at Hiei. "You're not helping any, Hiei."

Hiei shrugged. "I never said I was going to. It doesn't matter to me whether she's scared of me or not. In fact, it might even be for the better."

"Hiei," Shuichi warned.

I stood up, walking closer to Hiei. He backed a few steps away from me. "That's rather a rude thing to say," I scolded softly. "I'm sure you don't really feel that way." It was a wild guess, but I didn't think Hiei was really as coarse as he pretended.

"How do you know what I feel?" Hiei snarled. He disappeared in an instant, and I could feel his aura moving very rapidly away from us.

I was shocked, and stayed frozen. Shuichi approached from behind me. I jumped slightly when he laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't mind him. He's…You seem to be affecting him in some way, and it's confusing him."

I continued to watch the spot where Hiei had vanished. "Affecting? Affecting how?" I muttered. I didn't really expect an answer, and Shuichi didn't give me one.

"I'm a fox," he said, masterfully changing the subject. "And enchanted fox demon. I used to be an amazing thief, until I was killed by a spirit world hunter. I fled to the human world and possessed the body of a woman's unborn baby, and began to regain my powers. By ten years, I was a demon again, and fully free to leave my human family. But…" I looked around at Shuichi. His voice…Did I hear regret, or adoration? "I loved my mother. I couldn't leave her." Shuichi looked up at me, smiling. "I'm more human than you think."

I nodded, fairly. "You certainly don't seem like you plan on wiping out the entire human race anytime soon."

Shuichi laughed. "I'm glad you noticed. No, Hiei and I have been coerced into protecting humanity from demons. I suppose we could be called 'traitors.'"

"Not that that's a bad thing, considering what kind of beings you betrayed, Shuichi."

Shuichi started walking towards the direction of town. "Kurama. That's my real name. Shuichi is my human name, and only people who don't know I'm a demon call me that."

I followed him. "Kurama…I rather like that. And I definitely don't fall under the 'People who Don't Know Your Secret' category anymore."

Shu…Kurama and I walked for a while in silence, and my thoughts once again drifted to Hiei. I really hoped I hadn't offended him. Kurama and Hiei seemed like great friends, so if I stayed around Kurama, I was likely to see Hiei again. That is, _if_ Kurama was going to let me hang around…But for some reason, I felt as if we weren't just going to say 'farewell,' and never see each other again anytime soon.

"Would you like to meet a few friends of mine? They're human, and also have powers. If you still don't trust Hiei and I, meeting them might put your mind to rest." Kurama said.

"Hmmm," I said. "Sounds nice."

**************

Kurama led me to a very large apartment, and knocked on the door. A black-haired boy about Kurama's age answered the door. I smelled the reek of his demonic aura instantly.

"Kurama!" He said. "What's the occasion?"

I leaned towards Kurama. "I thought you were supposed to introduce me to _human _friends," I commented.

Kurama laughed. "You caught that, did you?"

"Who's this?" The dark haired boy asked, curiously peeking around Kurama to look at me.

I bowed to him politely. I could sense that this boy held great power, but I didn't feel scared of him. There was a slight human scent to him, but it was mostly covered by the demon stink. "Amaterasu Okami, but you can call me Tera. It's nice to meet you."

The boy was scratching his head, seemingly confused by my behavior. "Right back at ya. I'm Yusuke Urameshi."

"Who ya talking to, Urameshi?" Someone called from out of sight.

"Kurama and his new friend," Yusuke called back. "Get out here, idiot!" He turned back to us. "You can come in, you know."

I followed Kurama into the apartment. It was larger inside than it looked outside. I wondered how many people lived here. It could probably fit four or five comfortably. A tall, orange-haired boy pranced into sight.

"Aw, Kurama got a girlfriend?" He teased. I blushed immediately.

Kurama sighed. "Don't be vulgar, Kuwabara. This is Tera. She's a psychic."

"Really?" Yusuke said. Both he and…Kuwabara, was it? looked surprised. "Cool."

"Can you read minds or something?" Kuwabara asked.

I felt a bit miffed at the generalization of 'psychic.' "What's your name, anyway?" I asked icily.

"Oh," Kuwabara seemed a tad bit mollified. "I'm Kazuma Kuwabara. Tera, right?"

"Mmmm-hmmm," I responded. "And no, I can't read minds. I can get premonitions, and I can lock or unlock any mechanism I come across."

"That must be useful," Kurama remarked.

"I never have to worry about losing my car keys," I joked. I didn't even know how old I was, and I'm sure a date of birth was a requirement for a driver's license. For the first time, I looked Yusuke and Kuwabara in their eyes. I could see they were both surprised by the bizarreness of my eyes, but they didn't comment on it. A first for me.

"Hiei hasn't dropped by perchance, has he?" Kurama asked Yusuke and Kuwabara. Both of them shook their heads.

"Hiei, come visit us by his own free will? You must be going crazy, fox-boy." Yusuke said. Kurama laughed.

"Actually, he might be at Genkai's temple, to see Yukina. He seems to be watching over her a lot lately." Kuwabara's voice was thick with envy. "I wonder if he's got a thing for her…" He muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"I doubt Hiei feels that way about Yukina," Yusuke said awkwardly. I frowned in confusion.

_Yukina_? I mouthed at Kurama. He shook his head.

_I'll tell you later_, he mouthed back. That was a fine enough answer to satisfy me.

Yusuke and Kuwabara may be rash and brazen, but they certainly seemed nice enough. Both had good hearts, in any case.

We talked with Yusuke and Kuwabara for a while, and then Kurama tactfully excused us from the apartment. We started walking, and I had no idea where he was taking me now. I really wanted to know who Yukina was, but I didn't think it my place to ask. Suddenly, he stopped so quickly that I nearly ran into him.

"Would you be interested in meeting more of our friends, or are you too worn out?" He asked.

I smiled politely. "I'd love to see more of your friends. As long as none of them want a yummy little psychic for dinner."

Kurama laughed. "Very unlikely. Unless Yukina has cravings I don't know about." I waited for him to explain who Yukina was. And he did. "Yukina…is Hiei's sister. She knows she has a brother, but she doesn't know who he is. And he won't tell her. Kuwabara doesn't know either, even though he is very…'taken' with her, to use a nice euphemism. Hiei is obsessed with protecting her. She's an ice apparition."

I thought about this. "She must be quite the girl if she's got both Hiei and Kuwabara tripping over themselves for her." I didn't much care about Kuwabara's feelings, but hearing about Hiei's fascination with her made my heart twinge a little. I wonder why…?

Kurama chuckled. "Yes, she is. She's very special. I think you'll like her."


	4. Chapter 4

The walk to Genkai's temple was long, and strenuous. I was in good shape, so it wasn't to terrible for me. Kurama and I kept chatting all the way there. I quite liked him. But Hiei…He was a whole new level of intriguing. I wondered if Yukina was anything like him…

And she wasn't. The only things they had in common were red eyes, their body types, and their masterful skill at hiding their emotions. Yukina was truly a delight. She was so sweet and kind, it was hard to remember she was a demon.

Genkai was brimming with strength and wisdom. She was old, about seventy, and sarcastic. She was very likeable, as well, but in a different way than Yukina.

I sipped tea from a cup Yukina had brought out. "This is strange," I commented. "I've never tasted this tea before."

"It's made from plants that only grow around this temple," Genkai explained in her raspy voice. She looked up as the door behind us slammed open.

I blinked in surprise to see Hiei standing there, looking angry as usual. Maybe he really was keeping an eye on Yukina.

"Kurama!" Hiei snarled. "Outside. Now!" Hiei spun on his heel and stalked away angrily. Kurama sighed, then followed him out, shutting the door behind him. Ignoring Yukina and Genkai, I snuck to the door to eavesdrop.

"What are you doing here?" Hiei hissed angrily.

"Visiting," Kurama replied calmly.

"Then what is _she_ doing here?!" I had no doubt Hiei was referring to me.

"I wanted her to meet Yukina and Genkai. Why do you have such a problem with her?" Kurama almost sounded like he was teasing Hiei. I held my breath, desperate to hear the answer.

"That's not it," Hiei huffed. "I don't trust her. We only met her a few days ago."

"I know. But I think she's trustworthy. She's on our side, at least."

"She's weak," Hiei growled, "I have no patience for weaklings."

"I'm not weak," I mumbled, my ear still pressed against the Japanese-style door.

"Then how do you explain your relationship with Yukina?" Kurama retorted coolly. I glanced back at Yukina to see if she'd heard him say her name, but she was chatting with Genkai, ignoring me and the conversation outside.

"_Shut up, fox_!" Hiei snarled. "She's got nothing to do with this!"

"You don't think so?"

I felt an aura join Hiei and Kurama's outside. They continued talking, so I don't think they noticed it. But it felt like the same aura as the demons who had chased me days back. I blinked.

_The demon emerged from the woods surrounding the temple, his eyes focused on Hiei and Kurama. Both still went on arguing, not noticing the newcomer. And they wouldn't, not until one was seriously hurt. I screamed, throwing open the door. Both boys were alarmed, and looked at me, away from the monster. The gruesome being (couldn't tell if it was female or male) charged, and there was a flash of blood._

I was shocked. I threw open the door, surprising both Yukina and Genkai. I yelled a warning at the two boys, and, just like in my premonition, they looked the wrong way. I leapt at them, landing on Hiei, and managing to catch him off balance enough to topple us both to the ground. I felt the fire of pain as something sliced my left arm.

"Tera!" Hiei gasped in shock. "What the hell do you think you're-"

"Hiei!" Kurama yelled. "Attack!"

With Kurama's shout, Hiei threw me off of him and was on his feet before I could blink. I rolled over, trying to move my injured arm as little as possible.

Kurama and Hiei were both attacking that large, slimy demon. To be honest, it looked like someone had taken a statue of swamp mud, and had charred it with a flame-thrower until it could hold its shape. Ugh. And don't get me started on the smell.

I felt a pair of small hands on my waist, and then Genkai was pulling me to my feet. She and Yukina helped me into the temple, where a pile of bandages a sewing kit, and a bowl of water were waiting for me. Genkai ripped the sleeve off of my shirt, ignoring my little squeak of protest. I didn't exactly have many clothes. But my destroyed clothes were shoved from my mind when I saw the extent of my wound.

My arm seemed to have gone mostly numb, but if I could feel it, I'm sure I would have been screaming in agony. The wound stretched from inches above my wrist, all the way to my shoulder. It was gushing blood sporadically, matching the stuttering beating of my heart. Below all the red, I could see the white of my bone. I felt faint, although I didn't know if it was from the loss of blood, or the sight of so much blood.

"Whoa, there." Genkai pressed both of her hands on my back to stop me from falling as I passed out. Yukina was grimly working on my wound. She tried her best to wash the blood off, but it kept surging out, ruining her efforts. She finally gave up and began to deftly sew the wounds closed. I could feel the needle pierce my skin. I turned away, finding the sight of the thread sticking out of my skin rather disgusting. As if the wound wasn't gross enough as it was. Finally, Yukina bit the thread off and began to wrap the cloth bandages around my arm.

Hiei and Kurama walked in from outside, covered in some sort of smile that I thought was that ugly demon's blood. Hiei wrinkled his nose, probably because of the smell of my blood. Kurama knelt beside me.

"Tera…Are you alright?" He asked, his voice soft.

Hiei also dropped to his knees. I blinked in surprise. "Look at the blood. What do you think, Kurama?" Hiei replied quietly. I was surprised by this sudden act of kindness to me. I tried to concentrate on his face, but the more I tried, the darker my sight became. My head felt light. I fell against Hiei's way-too-warm body, and finally fainted.

**************

"…lost a lot of blood…"

"…amazing she's still alive…"

I opened my eyes, blinking away the blurriness. I felt weak and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but something told me that wasn't a good idea. Might've been my empty stomach.

I tried to use my hands to prop myself up, but my left one gave out. Pain shot through it, and I gave a cry, which cause the people talking about me to shut up and look over. Now that my vision was clearing, I recognized Yukina, Genkai, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama. I wondered what Kuwabara and Yusuke were doing here. And, where Hiei had gone.

"Hiei?" I asked in confusion.

"Right behind you," his deep voice said. All at once, Hiei was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. I was laying against Hiei's body, his legs spread out so that I was settled in between them, and his arms wrapped around my waist. The moment I noticed this, I tried to struggle out of his grasp, but his arms held tight.

"You've lost a lot of blood," he explained, his warm breath tickling my ear. "You aren't able to maintain your own body temperature."

"You might have suffered hypothermia if not for Hiei," Kurama said. I wasn't sure if he was teasing. Hiei snorted.

Genkai got to her feet. "Well, she could probably rest at her home, if she wants now. There's not much else we can do." She looked pointedly at me. "Just try not to move your arm much until it's healed."

I tried to get up to bow to her in thanks. But Hiei wouldn't let me go. "Take it easy," he muttered. I relaxed against him.

Yukina knelt down in front of me. "You should come here every day, Miss Tera," she said. "I can make your wound heal faster."

I smiled sweetly at her. "Thank you, Yukina. I will try." Of course, I didn't know if I could. It's not like I remembered the way here, and I couldn't bother any of the boys to bring me here.

Genkai and Yukina left. Hiei slipped his arms under my knees and my back so deftly that I barely even noticed the change until he stood up.

"I can walk," I insisted.

Hiei scoffed. "I don't want to get blamed when you faint and hurt yourself."

I frowned. "Are you that scared of what the others will say if I get hurt?"

Hiei smiled, his first smile since I had met him. "Believe me, you don't want to see Kurama angry."


	5. Chapter 5

It was kind of embarrassing to be stared at when Hiei carried me through town, toward my apartment. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against Hiei's chest, feigning sleep. His body was very warm, far warmer than any humans'. Sometimes I forgot that he wasn't human. I felt a little shock each time when I remembered.

Hiei, Yusuke and Kurama escorted me to my apartment, while Kuwabara went off to do his own thing. Kurama just stared at my apartment with raised eyebrows while Hiei made a noise of disgust. Yusuke did nothing, as if he was accustomed to seeing theses kinds of living situations.

"_This_ is where you live?" Hiei snorted. I couldn't imagine him living in some hoity-toity mansion, so I felt a bit insulted.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked innocently.

Kurama shrugged. "Nothing. I think we just expected a family of demon hunters to live in a more extravagant place…"

I sighed sadly. "Well, I _would_, but after my brother died, we had no more source of income and I was kicked out.

The three boys were silent for a moment, taking in this new information. "I'm sorry," Hiei said gruffly, surprising me.

"Do you want to live with me?" Yusuke asked suddenly.

"Yusuke!" I gasped in shock at the inappropriateness of the question.

"_Yusuke_!" Hiei growled in anger.

"Do anything, and I'll tell Keiko…" Kurama teased. Yusuke's eyes widened.

"No, that's not what I meant! Besides, I still live with my mother!"

I relaxed a little when I heard this. It certainly would be nice to live with someone else. And I was sure Yusuke could probably protect me from the demons if I gave him warning. "Alright…"

"Is that okay with you, Hiei?" I had no idea why Kurama was asking Hiei's permission. Hiei set me down on my feet.

"It's fine," He snapped. A moment later, he had vanished from my sight and senses. I felt like I had done something wrong again.

**************

It didn't take long to move my stuff. Well, longer than it should have considering how little belongings I had. Kurama and Yusuke did all the work, and I directed. I was eager to ask Yusuke's mother's permission, but she wasn't home. According to Yusuke, she was quite the partier, and was out with a new boyfriend. I didn't mind, I suppose, except that I didn't want Yusuke getting in trouble with this 'Keiko' girl.

The boys set my things up in a small bedroom. I collapsed on the bare bed that was there, exhausted. Which didn't make sense, considering I hadn't done any work. But we had been walking a lot, and it would take a while for me to fully recover from all the blood loss. Yusuke peeked in at me from around the doorway.

"How ya doing, Tera?" He asked. I shrugged listlessly.

"Tired…But I'll get over it. Thank you so much for your help today." I heaved myself off the bed, wanting to thank Kurama as well. As soon as I walked past him, Yusuke seemed to know who I was looking for.

"He went home already." Yusuke called back to me. "Said he didn't want to disturb you."

I felt sad, and once again like I had done something wrong.

**************

I slept hard, and jolted awake out of a nightmare I didn't even remember. I panted, looking wildly around the room for a danger, but there was none. The sun was shining, but it still must only be early morning. I considered falling back on my pillows and sleeping a few more hours before a movement in the shadows caught my eye.

My breath froze in my lungs as I sensed the demonic aura. I almost began to panic, before my mind caught up with my senses and told me that I recognized this aura.

"Hiei?" I whispered hesitantly. He emerged from the shadows.

"Come on," he said, holding a hand out to me. "I've come to take you to Yukina."

I threw the blankets off of me, reaching out for his hand in relief. This probably meant he wasn't mad at me.

**************

Hiei didn't carry me to the temple; instead we walked. There wasn't much chatter, as he didn't seem the type for small talk, but I enjoyed his company nonetheless. It had a claming effect on me, which is strange considering it was Hiei. I hadn't known him very long, but I already did know him well enough to know that that was not the effect he usually had on people.

I did feel sorry for Hiei. The walk was long, and because of my wound, I had to rest often. Hiei would wait patiently, but I was still worried I was bothering him. But he didn't act like he did. He was a tough one to figure out.

We finally arrived at the temple, and Hiei sulked outside while Yukina greeted me. From the looks of it, Hiei was going to hang around to take me back, but he wasn't going to socialize. But I was sure he was still in earshot…

"Yukina," I said quietly, trying not to startle her, "Yusuke told me you have a brother."

Yukina glanced up at me and smiled. "Yes, I do. I don't know much about him, though."

I watched her hands begin to glow as she started to heal me. "Tell me what you do know."

She sighed. "He likes the martial arts, and he's in the human world somewhere. I think Mr. Hiei knows where he is, but he won't tell me…"

Oh, that was ironic. I knew it wasn't my secret to tell, but maybe I could indirectly convince Hiei to tell Yukina himself. "Why do you want to find him?"

The question was blunt, and slightly rude. But I wanted Hiei to hear her answer.

Yukina frowned, thinking. "I don't know. I never met him." Oops. That wasn't really what I had wanted Hiei to hear her say. "But…Somehow, he's the most important person in my life. I love him more than anything."

_There_ we go. I tried not to smile. "What…What if he's a monster? A killer, or something? Maybe an alien with two heads and three legs."

"It doesn't matter," Yukina replied softly, "I will love him no matter what."

Yukina had finally finished re-bandaging my arm, so I threw my arms around her, unable to help myself. "You're amazing, Yukina."

Yukina laughed sweetly, but just a tad bit embarrassed. "Thank you, I guess."

I stood up, flexing my arm slightly. I was able to move it a lot easier now. "I guess I should be going. Yusuke will not be worrying if I don't get back soon."

Yukina also stood, and smiled. "Alright. Please visit again soon."

"Sure thing."


	6. Chapter 6

Hiei met me outside of the gates to the temple. He didn't say anything, barely made any indication that he noticed me. But he started walking, and when my pace would slow, he stopped so I could rest. I really wondered what he thought about Yukina's words. I didn't think it proper to ask him. But, the suspense was killing me…!

"Hiei," I said hesitantly, "About what Yukina said…"

Hiei whirled, turning around to face me. He was burning (not literally) with anger. "Why did you have to ask her that?!"

I bristled. "What? It's not like she figured out _who_ her brother was! Don't yell at me!"

"It's none of your business!" Hiei snarled, before turning away from me and beginning to walk, quickly. I followed him at a slow jog.

"The hell it isn't!" I snapped. "Yukina's my friend, just like you are! I'm concerned for the both of you!"

Hiei stuck his face dangerously close to mine, almost as if promising horrible pain if I kept arguing with him. "Whoever said I was your friend, Tera? Yusuke may be, and Kurama too, but _not_ me. Don't make that mistake."

I froze in my steps. "If you're not my friend, why are you being so kind to me? Why aren't you just leaving me here to die?" Maybe that was an over exaggeration, but my point got across. Hiei seemed at a loss for words.

"I don't know," he said simply. He began to walk again, but this time at a much slower pace, obviously so I could follow. But I stayed where I was.

"I'd rather you be honest that you hate me, instead of lying and pretending to care," I hissed through clenched teeth. I had no idea why his words hurt me so much. Normally I wouldn't have been this bothered.

Hiei lunged at me, and I thought he was going to hurt me, but all he did was pick me up and throw me over his back in a fireman's carry.

"Hey!" I protested. He didn't say anything else, nor did he put me down. He instead began to run, much faster than I thought possible. Watching the scenery zip by made me feel ill, so I closed my eyes for the duration of the trip. Quite soon, we had arrived back at Yusuke's apartment complex.

"Here," Hiei said, suddenly dropping me a little brutally. I glared up at him from the ground. He paused a moment for offering me his hand to pull me to my feet.

"Just so you know, I don't hate you," he said softly before vanishing right before my eyes. I felt confused by his words. He was going to be hard guy to figure out.

**************

Considering I didn't have a key to the apartment yet, I knocked on the door quietly, hoping Yusuke was already awake. A few moments later, the door was pulled open, but not by Yusuke. A woman.

I glanced up at the number above the door to make sure I had gotten the right apartment. I had, so…

"Miss Urameshi?" I said cautiously.

She looked drunk. "Puh-lease! Call me Atsuko." She stood back so that I could enter the apartment. "You must be Tera. Yusuke told me about you."

"I don't know if that's a good thing…" I said. I wasn't sure what Yusuke thought of me. My mind was still reeling from my little trip with Hiei.

"Well, from what he told me, you don't seem bad. You sure have pretty eyes. You hungry?" Atsuko didn't wait for an answer. She just walked into the kitchen. For the first time, I noticed the beer bottle dangling from her hand. Atsuko may be a drunk, but so far, she seemed like fun.

"Kuwabara came and dragged Yusuke out a little while ago," Atsuko called back to me. "A mission, it might be."

"Shame to miss it," I replied casually. I wondered how much Atsuko knew about her son's connection with the paranormal.

"You're a psychic, right?" She asked a moment later. Ah. So she knew everything, then.

"Mmm-hmmm," I responded. I looked at the food set on the table. Cereal and other easy-to-make items. Although my body was starving, I myself did not have much of an appetite. I forced myself to down a bowl of cereal. My thoughts wandered off, thinking about everything that had happened lately. Before I knew it, I was lost in a premonition.

_I was me, but at the same time I wasn't. I could see everything through this person's eyes, but it wasn't me. I was perched in a tree, peeking through a window into a room. It was dark, but I could still dimly see a slender silhouette enter the room. The silhouette didn't turn the lights on, but instead took a brush from the desk and began to brush its hair. A moment later, it paused, and turned, walking straight to me. I wondered what it was doing, before it threw open the window, startling me. I lost my balance, falling down through the branches of the tree straight to the ground._

I blinked, coming out of the vision, wondering what I had seen. Something about the room had looked familiar, but I didn't know why. I thought about it for a moment, before shaking it from my mind. When it came to pass, I would understand it.

**************

Yusuke returned hours later, when it was nearly time for dinner. It hadn't been a mission after all, apparently. It was just Kuwabara challenging Yusuke to a video game tournament at the arcade. And Yusuke wasn't the type to refuse.

I was in the small kitchen, cooking dinner. Atsuko wasn't the chef-type, and I felt like I ought to repay her and Yusuke for their kindness. I was well used to cooking, considering my brother, Susano, had never been that good of a cook back when we lived together.

After dinner, I washed up in the bathroom and walked into my room. The dark of the room comforted me, and I felt no desire to flick on the lights. I picked my brush up off the small desk I had, and began to pull it through my wet hair.

Suddenly, this situation felt very much like déjà vu, and I remembered why. I set the brush cautiously down, and walked to the window. I could see a shadow on the tree outside the room. I opened the windows, and heard violently swearing as something crashed down through the branches to the hard ground below.

Shocked, I ran down the stairs of the apartment complex, sprinting out the door. I saw someone sitting up where they had fallen, and a moment later, I recognized Hiei's spiky hair.

"Hiei!" I gasped in surprise, running to him. I threw myself on my knees in front of him. "I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

"Alright enough," he snapped dryly. Well, at least now he actually had a reason to hate me.

"What were you doing up there?" I asked curiously.

"Watching you to see if you were still upset with me," he replied short. Wow. I hadn't expected that blunt reply.

"I'm not," I said. "Now come on inside. You're scratched all over."

He refused my offer. "I'll live." He looked as if he was about to walk away, but I knew very well that he had no home to go to.

"Where will you go?" I called, as endearingly as I could.

He shrugged. "Kurama's, probably." It sounded like a place he often stayed.

"You could stay here," I said, knowing I would regret my forwardness later, "My room is big enough."

Hiei paused, considering it. Finally, he turned and walked back to me. "Fine. But I'd prefer no one else knew."

I smiled. I may not be on fantastic terms with Hiei yet, but I definitely could see friend-potential. "Done."


	7. Chapter 7

Hiei and I walked back up to the apartment, where I carefully checked inside to see if either Atsuko or Yusuke was still up. Luckily, the place was quiet and dark. I tiptoed through to my room, and Hiei followed with his natural grace. I closed the door behind us when I got to the room.

Trying not to act embarrassed, I closed the window, as it was too cold a night to keep it open. I pulled out some blankets to make a mattress on the floor for myself.

"What are you doing?" Hiei asked sardonically.

"Making a bed for me to sleep on," I replied coldly. "Why do you ask?

Hiei came up to me and took the blankets from my arms. "_I'll _sleep on the floor. Believe me, I've slept on worse." He turned away from me and literally flopped down on the floor.

I didn't move. "Thank you," I said quietly, before getting into bed.

"Hn," Hiei responded. I smiled to myself.

**************

Hiei was gone by the time I woke up the next morning. But the blankets were folded up neatly in my closet. The sight of that made me smile. Then I noticed something that didn't belong on top of the stack of blankets. Perplexed, I walked over and picked it up. A snow daisy, with pure white petals and a bright yellow center. I held it up to my nose and sniffed. It was still fresh, not picked too long ago. Smiling, I wove it into my black hair, right above my ear. I admired the effect in a mirror, the stark contrast of my dark hair with the startlingly-white petals. Cheerfully, I pranced out the room to greet Yusuke and Atsuko.

"_You_ sure look happy," Yusuke commented. "Where'd you get the flower?"

I almost said Hiei's name, before remembering my promise not to tell anyone. I smiled mysteriously. "It must've been blown into my room by the wind last night."

"The wind wasn't blowing," Atsuko said suspiciously. I didn't answer.

I hummed to myself as I shook cereal out of the box. Yusuke and Atsuko were still giving me strange looks, but I ignored them. I lost myself happily in my thoughts.

"Do you go to school, Tera?" Atsuko asked curiously. I frowned.

"No, I was home schooled my whole life, until my parents died. I don't even know what grade I should be in."

"Well, how old are you?" Yusuke asked. I shrugged. He stared at me in shock. "You mean you don't know how old you are?!"

I sighed sadly. "No, I don't. I think I must be eighteen or nineteen, although I don't know for sure. We never kept track of our birthdays."

"Shame. Then you can never get birthday presents!" Atsuko joked. I laughed along with her. To be honest, the daisy Hiei had given me was the first present I had ever gotten. Even though the flower was going to die soon, I would treasure the memory of it forever.

**************

My arm was healed by the time I saw Hiei again. There was still an awful, red raised scar that stretched down almost my whole arm. I was a little self-conscious of it. It was just another thing that people would think bizarre about me…So glad I wasn't in school, where I would surely get teased.

I had taken the snow daisy and gotten it dried and pressed. I kept it as a good luck charm, just like the length of cloth from Hiei I also had. The flower was used as a bookmark, and the cloth a quirky accessory, wrapped around my scarred arm.

Yusuke told me quite a bit about this Spirit Detective thing he had going on. I wasn't allowed to go on any missions or anything, but I didn't mind. Yusuke did seem to think it funny that I kept asking about Hiei every time, though. I prayed that he wouldn't give anything away.

Finally, Hiei did visit me. At the time, I was laying on my bed, reading a book about Egyptian myths, when I heard a soft step behind me.

I spun around in shock, only to see Hiei standing there, watching me. He had apparently come through my window, which I usually kept open in hopes he would come to see me. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest, and Hiei smirked at me when I pressed my hand to the spot above my heart. He sauntered over to me, and sat beside me on the bed.

"Haven't seen you in a while," he remarked.

"Whose fault is that?" I retorted. "I don't know how to find you, but you know exactly where I am."

"Don't be rude," Hiei replied calmly. "Actually, I need your help."

Huh. Nice to know that the only reason he'd visit me would be because he needed me for something. "What is it?"

Hiei sighed heavily. "Yukina's gotten sick, and neither Genkai nor Kurama can heal her. We think it's some sort of remnant from back when she got kidnapped by humans."

I felt truly sorry for Yukina. "But…What do you expect me to do?"

Hiei closed his violently red eyes. "There's some sort of government building, where there might be a cure. But we can't get in. It's guarded by human locks and magical ones. I believe you can open both?"

"I should be able to." Although it'd probably either kill me, or come awfully close. I wasn't about to let Hiei know that.

Hiei stood, holding out his hand to me. "Come with me," he whispered.

My breath caught in my throat. Not the most romantic of moments, I know. But still. "Please tell me you aren't going to carry me again. You gave me a headache last time."

Hiei chuckled.

* * *

So...I'll be on vacation for a couple of weeks, and then, the weekend I get back, I will be going back to college. So I don't know when I will be able to update again. My apologies!!

On a side note, I wrote this a long time ago, and only decided to post it a few months ago. I forgot what I wrote. It's a lot more romantic and sweet than I remember! I think I used to be a better writer than I am now...*sigh*


	8. Chapter 8

I peeked around the gate of the courtyard to the building. It was large, and the garden inside was very lovely. Hard to believe it belonged to corrupt humans.

I could see shadows moving about. Probably guards. Hiei had promised to take care of any guards, as long as I dealt with the inanimate features of the security system.

With no warning, Hiei wrapped his arm around my waist, and leapt up to the top of the brick wall surrounding the gate. I tried my hardest not to shriek in surprise, but I did squeak a little. My knees buckled from the shock when we hit the top of the wall, and I began to fall off. One of Hiei's arms flashed around my waist again, and the other around my shoulders so I was pressed securely against his body.

"Shhh," he breathed into my ear. I shivered.

Keeping a extremely firm hold of me, Hiei jumped gracefully down from the wall onto a tree branch. The branch trembled slightly at the impact of our combined weight, and I held my breathe in fear that the guards had heard us. But no alarm was sounded, and a second later, Hiei hopped off the branch, and we landed in the grass. He pushed me against the trunk of the tree, touching one finger to his lips to warn me to be quiet. He vanished from my sight.

As silently as possible, I slid down to the base of the trunk, and tried to make myself as unnoticeable as possible. There was no way I was going to screw this up for Hiei.

I almost screamed when Hiei suddenly reappeared right in front of me. As if he could see the cry rising in my throat, he clamped his hand over my mouth, causing me to swallow my shriek of fright.

"Come on," he hissed, "your way is clear now."

Cautiously, I crept out of the cover of the tree, my eyes flitted back and forward. I wasn't sure if I was looking for guards that Hiei had missed, or the bodies of the guards. But I saw neither. I wasn't sure whether this was a good thing, or now.

The first obstacle I encountered was a plain key lock on the door. I touched the doorknob momentarily, and it clicked open. I twisted the knob, and pushed the door open.

I was met with a pair of shiny guns pointed at my face. My mouth dropped open, but before the gunmen could fire, Hiei viciously seized my wrist and threw me out the door behind him. I skidded on the cement walkway, as I heard metal clanging and awful slicing noises. I sat up, wincing as my new scratches burned. I stood, limping slightly, and joined Hiei, where he was now standing in the entrance hall.

There had been three gunmen, and now they lay about in various pieces. The stench of blood permeated the hall. I couldn't even tell which slices were what, and had belonged to whom. My knees gave out, and I collapsed. I began to vomit, continuing until I had nothing left in my stomach. I weakly coughed, wiping my mouth on the sleeve of my shirt. Hiei bent down next to me, concerned.

"You would think I would be used to stuff like this by now," I gasped. Hiei frowned sympathetically.

"It's different if you are the one actually doing the killing. You grow to ignore it. It's okay for you to be like this."

I smiled slightly. "But I thought you said you didn't like weaklings."

Hiei leaned away from me, alarmed. I suppose he truly hadn't thought I'd heard the conversation between him and Kurama that day in the temple. Busted…

Hiei looked away from me. "Maybe you bothered me then," he said softly, "but certainly not now. I…I'm sorry. I don't mind protecting you."

I smiled, even though he wasn't looking at me to see. "Don't worry about it. Come on. We have a job to do." This time, it was I that stood and offered him my hand. Surprised, he took it and I pulled him to his feet. I let go, and turned to pay attention to the small alarm system to the side of us.

Technology like this wasn't the usual idea of locking system, but it was still a type of lock. Only much harder and more energy-consuming to unlock. I lightly slipped my fingers across the buttons, concentrating. It took a few minutes, but finally the small keypad beeped, informing me that it had disarmed. I exhaled heavily, before realizing my hands were shaking from exhaustion. I quickly pulled my hands to my side so Hiei wouldn't see.

He motioned me to follow him, and I did, at a safe distance. Whenever we came across guards, I would press myself against the closest wall and close my eyes, trying not to listen to the awful sounds of Hiei's sword slashing through human flesh. Before I could open my eyes, he usually pulled me past the scene of slaughter. I grimaced to image all the filth I was probably getting on my shoes. Finally Hiei paused before a large, white metal door.

"This is where is should be," he whispered. "They conducted experiences on non-human creatures in this room, so if there's any cure, this is where they would have it." I wasn't sure if Hiei was saying this because he was confident in the information, or if he was trying to convince himself. Nevertheless, I took this as my cue, and ran my hands along the door to discover what kind of lock system it had.

Huh…I had never encountered something like this before. It was extremely complicated, combining old-time locking systems with some strange technology. And the door was radiating with demon energy. Not from whatever was in the room, but the door itself. Taking a deep breath, I pressed my fingertips to the odd door. I didn't want to let Hiei down.

My knees started to tremble, and I fought to keep myself up. I felt Hiei's hand on my shoulder, trying to gently pull me away from the door, but I stubbornly shook him off. One by one, all the intricate locking systems unlocked. Finally, the door pushed open, and I fell to my knees, panting.

"Tera…" Hiei bent down to me, his hands brushing over my forehead, like he was checking for a fever.

"Go," I breathed, my voice weak. "Get whatever it is you need. I'll be here…Resting…" I leaned my head against the doorframe, and Hiei stood, walking into the room. I sighed, closing my eyes, waiting for him to come back. I drifted in and out of consciousness, until I felt someone pull me into their arms.

"Hiei," I whispered in relief.

"Hiei?" A male voice I didn't recognize answered. "Who's that?"

* * *

Whew! I've only been back in school for a couple of weeks, but it feels like it's been forever! Sorry it took so long...


	9. Chapter 9

My eyes shot open as I realized that whoever it was that was holding me wasn't my moody friend. I pushed against this new guy's chest, while he struggled to hold on to me.

"Hey! Hey! Take it easy! I want to help you, you know!" He cried. He sounded quite young. Finally, he lost his grip, and I tumbled out of his arms.

"Hiei!" I shrieked when I hit the floor. A moment later, the white door burst open, and Hiei jumped out, burning with fury.

He pointed his sword right at the man that had started to carry me. "Get away from her now, and I _might_ not kill you."

The young man held up his hands in surrender. "Hey! Easy! I wasn't trying to hurt her! Just…Just put the sword down…"

Hiei didn't obey. His eyes narrowed in anger. "If you aren't here to capture us, then why _are_ you here?"

"I work here!"

Hiei's eyes were just furious slits now, and he took one step closer, which narrowed the distance between the guy and the tip of the sword. The man swallowed nervously.

"Again, I ask, why are you here if not to capture us?" Hiei hissed. I had to admit, even I was scared of Hiei at this point.

"Hiei!" I jumped to my feet, almost falling back down as the weariness hit me. I ignored it, and instead touched my fingers to the dull side of Hiei's sword. I pushed it down, and he glared at me. "He might be more encouraged to talk if you aren't about to kill him."

The guy looked grateful to me, and I slid down to the ground again. Hiei positioned himself protectively in front of me.

"Talk," he commanded.

The guy exhaled. "My name is Tao. I don't remember anything else really about me. I lost my memory ten years ago and this corporation took me in. I've been working for them ever since, but I don't really enjoy it…"

Hiei scoffed. "You're lying."

I didn't try to get up this time, but I reached my hand out to take hold of Hiei's. He flinched slightly when I touched him. "Look, let me see if he is. Maybe he can be of some use to us."

I gestured to Tao to get him to bend down to me. I wasn't used to forcing premonitions, and this certainly wasn't going to be kind to my already weakened body. I pressed my whole hand against Tao's forehead, and closed my eyes.

_A pretty little girl smiled at me. She was quite lovely, and only about ten years old. I felt love and adoration when I saw her, and could not resist ruffling her hair. She squealed in protest, before laughing and hugging me. I folded my arms around her, vowing to protect her no matter what._

I blinked, withdrawing my hand from Tao's forehead before I could see any more. What I had seen was enough to convince me that he wasn't the same type of human scum that inhabited the rest of this facility.

"Tell me…" I said slyly. "Do you remember a little girl, with black hair?"

"Nope," Tao shook his head with hardly a moment's thought.

"Well, apparently she's quite important to you," I said. "And she might have something to do with why you lost your memory." I saw something glint on his finger. It was a silver ring, quite small and girly, and with a gleaming red stone, the color of blood. Curious, I reached out and touched it. Instantly, I received a jolt of pure spirit energy. I felt rejuvenated, but at the same time, it hurt. Just like I had stuck my finger into an electrical socket.

"Tera?" Hiei said uncertainly when I gasped. "What's wrong?"

"The ring," I gasped, finding my voice hoarse.

Not needing another word, Hiei seized Tao's hand, yanking the ring off. He must've felt the power in it as well, but it didn't hurt him like it had me. He turned it around in his fingers, examining it. He shoved it in a pocket of his cloak.

"It's mine now," he told Tao. Tao didn't look angry, only a little sad. I assumed Hiei would give it to Genkai to analyze or something. But something was drawing me to the ring…It almost felt like it belonged to me.

A loud alarm began to sound, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Hiei swore violently, using words I had never heard before, and did not want to imagine their meaning. He roughly grabbed my hand, and pulled me to my feet.

"You're coming with," he snarled in Tao's face. Tao didn't argue, but instead began to follow us as Hiei jerked me down the hall, towards the exit.

"Look out!" I yelled, once I saw what was waiting for us around the next corner. I shoved Hiei roughly out of the way, earning a slash across my shoulder as a bullet grazed my skin. Hiei flew past me, deftly slicing the shooter into little bits, then jumped back to me.

"Are you hurt?" He demanded to know.

"Yeah," I said, showing him my wound. "It's just a graze, though."

Hiei took my wrist and began to pull me again. "I'll clean it for you when we get out of here." Then, it was _his_ turn to rescue me, as a sword blade flashed through the air. He spun away from the sword to protect me, and in turn, received a nasty gash across his back. While not even letting go of me, he cut the attacker in two, and began to run down the hall, as fast as he could while holding on to me. Neither of us noticed (nor cared) whether Tao was still following.

We dashed out into the courtyard, and Hiei didn't even bother retaliating as men shot at us. He only dodged the bullets, making sure I was unharmed as well. We bolted out the gate, and I learned that yes, Tao was still with us. We ran until we were sure no one was following us. Then, Hiei finally slowed his pace, allowing us to rest. I collapsed to my knees, having difficulty breathing.

Hiei knelt in front of me, his red eyes penetrating mine. I immediately felt calmer. But his eyes reminded me…

"Oh! Did you get what we came for?" How stupid of me not to ask this sooner.

Hiei reached inside his cloak and pulled out a small bottle of shimmering white liquid. "Yes. This should cure Yukina."

I sighed in relief. "Good." I wished more than anything that I could pass out on the ground right here, but I didn't think Hiei would be very happy if I did that. Still, he seemed to notice my exhaustion. He reached over and pulled me closer to him, so that I could lean against his should. I smiled gratefully, closing my eyes and soaking in the warmth of his body.

"So….What now?"

My eyes shot open in alarm. I had completely forgotten about Tao. And apparently, Hiei had too.

"Oh, _you're_ still here?" Hiei snapped rudely.

"Of course I am." He crouched down so he could he eye level with the two of us. "You should really get those injuries tended to."

Oh yeah. I had forgotten about them. It kind of irked me that Tao had escaped the building without even a scratch. Idiots like him always had that kind of luck.

"As much as I hate to say it, he's right." Hiei commented. He gently pushed me off of him, then stood, looking down at me. "Can you walk?"

I got cautiously to my feet, but I couldn't even feel my legs. I fell, right into Hiei. He gently lowered me to the ground again.

"I guess that's a no."

"I'll carry her." Tao said cheerfully, trotting forward. Hiei growled.

"Don't you touch her!"

Tao's smile melted into an expression of mock disappointment. "Why not? I'm on your side."

"I don't care," Hiei replied casually. "I just don't want you touching her." His words made me blush. Hiei bent down to pick me up, but I pushed him away. His eyes widened in surprise and hurt.

"You're injured, worse than me!" I snapped. "There's no way I'm letting you carry me."

Hiei glared at me. "Well, you can't even stand. I'd say I'm in better condition than you are." He leaned close to me, so that Tao wouldn't be able to hear. "You don't really want him to carry you instead, do you?" I almost giggled at the sound of worry in his voice.

"Of course not," I replied, hoping to put a rest to his fears. I made a show of laying down on the ground, like I was getting ready to sleep. "Maybe I'll just sleep here."

"Not a chance," Hiei growled. He yanked me brutally to my feet, and I almost fell again. But he wound an arm around my waist, and took one of my arms to wrap around his body. I felt secure, but my heart was beating _way_ too fast.


	10. Chapter 10

We managed to get all the way to Kurama's house (since it was the closest) without me fainting. I admit, I was pretty darn proud of myself. Hiei grudgingly handed me over to Tao so that he could go in and explain to Kurama's mother the situation. Well, as much of the situation as he could without giving anything supernatural away. From what I heard, it had something to do with 'drunk bar fight' and 'rowdy friends.' He came back, and helped me up to Kurama's room, ordering Tao to fetch a medical kit and then leave.

I ripped the ruined sleeve of my shirt off, so that Hiei could tend to my wound. He dabbed some sort of medical alcohol on my shoulder, which caused me to inhale sharply. He ignored my gasp, instead carefully cleaning the blood off. The alcohol burned, and the warmth of his skin certainly wasn't helping any. I decided that when the time came for me to treat his wound, I would hurt him as much as possible.

Hiei didn't speak while he tended to my injury. I closed my eyes, reveling in the feeling of his touch. I was almost sad when he pressed a sticky bandage onto it, and the warmth of his touch left me. Or so I thought. But Hiei reached around and caressed my cheek. I blinked in surprise.

"When did you get this?" He asked quietly. I frowned.

"What?"

He pressed his fingers hard into my skin, showing that I apparently had quite a nasty scratch on my cheek, probably from when I had skidded across the cement walkway. Hiei pressed another bandage to my cheek, and I took the moment to just admire his angular face. He really was quite handsome. When Hiei had finished smoothing the bandage over my cheek, he looked up at my eyes, catching me staring at him. I blushed, and glanced quickly away. He didn't comment on my staring.

I motioned to him to turn around so I could reach his cut. He slipped off his shirt, and I averted my eyes until he was sitting in front of me. With trembling fingers, I took a wet cloth and began to wash the dried blood off. He had several old scars marring the pale flesh on his back, something that made me sad to see. I gently traced some of them, wondering how they had came to be there. Hiei looked over his shoulder at me.

"Is something the matter?"

I quickly looked into his eyes, before studying his scars again. "There's so many of them. Scars, that is. It makes me…Sad."

"Why?" Hiei asked bluntly. I shrugged. He turned his head away from me, and sighed. "It's gone and done. Nothing can change my past."

I sighed, tenderly rubbing a healing ointment on his wound. "No, it can't. But just like these scars with eventually fade away, the scars on your heart can still be healed."

Hiei didn't say anything for a long time. I finished applying the salve, and began to press a bandage onto it when he spoke again.

"And I assume you're offering yourself to that job?" He taunted. I was hurt by the mocking in his tone, but I tried to keep my own voice calm as I replied.

"No, I didn't say that. You can choose whoever you want to do that. I'm just saying it's possible."

Hiei scoffed. "Then you obviously haven't experienced pain in your perfect little life."

I blinked, his words sending what felt like a painful electrical jolt through my body. I slipped off the bed away from him, and angrily trotted to the door. Before I stepped out of Kurama's bedroom, I looked back at Hiei.

"Then what do you think you've just made me feel?" I snapped, before running from the house.

****************

I deliberately bolted out the back door, so Tao wouldn't see me and follow. I didn't stop running until I reached Yusuke's apartment. Without even saying hello to Atsuko and Yusuke, I dashed into my room, closing the door and throwing myself on the bed. I began to cry.

I really couldn't believe Hiei had said that to me. Sure, I might not have been through what he'd gone through, but that didn't mean…Now I knew I was definitely crushing on him. No one's words could hurt this much unless I had feelings for him…

I suddenly found myself wishing that I had never met Hiei and the others. Life would be so much easier if I was still with Susano, helping him vanquish demons. But of course, that could never happen. He was dead, and I was now so intricately tied with Hiei, Yusuke, Kurama and everyone else that I don't think I'd ever be able to tear myself away.

There was a soft knock on the door to my room. Not wanting to be rude, I stood up and opened the door, allowing Yusuke to come in. I walked over to my bed, collapsing on it once again. Yusuke came over and sat beside me. He began to rub my back comfortingly.

"What's wrong, Tera?" He asked quietly, either to sooth me, or to insure that Atsuko couldn't hear what we were talking about if she was trying to eavesdrop.

"It hurts," I whispered. "I never knew it could hurt this much."

"What does?"

"My heart," I replied. I knew I was being awfully vague, but I really couldn't bring myself to explain the situation further. "What he said hurt so much. I'm such an idiot!"

Yusuke paused. "Hiei, you mean?" I blinked in surprise.

"How did you know?"

"It's not difficult to tell how you feel about him. I'm sorry. He's not exactly the nicest person out there. That's what Kurama is for. Assuming you don't piss him off."

I didn't answer. We stayed like that for a long time, with me lying on the bed and Yusuke massaging my back, before he finally stood up.

"If you need anything, you know where I'll be," He said kindly, before leaving. "Feel better."

I didn't move for quite a while. When I did, I walked to my window, and for the first time since Hiei had slept over that one night, I closed the window.

* * *

Hiei's being a jerk...I think he gets crabby when he's injured.


	11. Chapter 11

I tried to keep myself as busy as possible, so that Hiei's words wouldn't echo through my mind. I cleaned the whole apartment thoroughly, causing Yusuke to think that he'd walked into the wrong apartment when he got home. I made breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks and desserts on the side. I exhausted myself during the day, so I slept peacefully at night. I didn't pay attention to the days passing. It was almost like I was on autopilot.

I didn't know what had happened to Tao, nor did I care. I had lost interest in him, and he didn't visit me. That ring that had been his stayed in the corner of my mind, though. I didn't mean to sound materialistic and greedy, but I really wanted that ring. I felt like if I had it, all my problems would disappear.

Then, once the cut on my shoulder had been completely healed for about a week, I saw Tao again. He came up to the apartment, and I didn't ask how he had found it out. Probably Kurama.

Both Yusuke and Atsuko were out at the time, so I served him tea. I waited for him to speak.

"I want to remember," Tao said quietly. "I've been thinking about that girl you told me about, and I can almost remember. Almost. But I feel like she's in trouble, and I need to find her."

I sighed, setting my own cup down. "I don't know what you want me to do."

"Kurama told me about your…Abilities. How you can unlock anything, right? And amnesia is sort of like a lock that holding back the memories, right? So…"

That was interesting. I hadn't quite thought about it that way. "I'll try." I held up my hands to the sides of his head. I concentrated, trying to feel for the 'lock.'

"Kurama says you and Hiei haven't seen each other for a while. Why not?" Tao asked, breaking my concentrating in more than one way. I glared at him.

"Just shut up." I snapped. Luckily, Tao didn't seem too bothered by my rude comment. I closed my eyes again, once again turning my attention to the task at hand. There - a mental wall, blocking his memories from his conscious mind. I worked on it, until it broke. Memories flooded back through his mind, and I was able to experience them too.

_That little black-haired girl dominated most of my memories. I loved her terribly, and wished some day to marry her, even though I was only fifteen at the time, and she nine. I was willing to wait, though. I loved her so much. I would always protect her, as best as I could. _

_One particular memory stood out in my mind. This girl's real name was long, and just as pretty as she was, but I preferred to call her something else. 'Sunny.' I gave it to her because her smile would light up the room. She didn't call me by my real name, Zhao-Sui, either, because she couldn't pronounce it. Instead, she called me 'Tao.' _

_But then, something happened. We were attacked one day, and she was kidnapped. Thinking I would never see her again, grief flowed through me, wiping my memory of her._

I leapt back from Tao, scrambling away. Sunny. _I_ was Sunny! I remembered my childhood friend, Zhao-Sui, and I remembered him calling me Sunny, in place of my name, Amaterasu. I couldn't believe I hadn't remembered Tao when I had first seen him. I threw my arms around him, joyously.

"Tao!" I cried. "I can't believe it's you!"

"And you, Sunny! It's been a while."

"Ten years." I suppose it was long enough that I could have forgotten him. But I still felt awful about it.

"Oh!" Tao said. "I almost forgot. How's Susano? Where is he, anyway?"

I looked down. "He's dead. Killed almost a year ago."

Tao's face fell, and he pulled me into his arms. "I'm so, so sorry, Sunny. I didn't mean to-"

I interrupted him. "No, don't worry about it. It's okay. Besides, it's all in the past." That comment reminded me about Hiei, and I felt instantly sad again. Tao seemed to notice, because he brushed a hand across my cheek.

"What's wrong?"

I sighed, thinking that perhaps it was alright to tell Tao the truth, considering we were childhood friends.

"It's Hiei. He said some stuff to me that really bothered me, and it's possible that he hates me. It just…It just really hurt me."

Tao stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Is that so? Well, maybe I should have a word with him."

I glared at him. "Don't you _dare_." Besides, I remembered what Tao's thoughts were from the vision. Did he still want to marry me? If so, I didn't want to tell him my feelings for Hiei.

As if to answer my question, Tao leaned forward and kissed my cheek softly. I smiled, unsure of what I felt. Tao was everything that Hiei wasn't. He was kind, and sympathetic, whereas Hiei was cruel, and distant. Who wouldn't want to be with Tao?

The truth is, I didn't. Tao brushed his lips over mine, but I barely felt it. I couldn't stop thinking about Hiei.

**************

Now that I was in some kind of a relationship with Tao, I was thinking about Hiei more than ever. I knew it was wrong to be seeing Tao when I felt nothing for him, but whenever I tried to break up with him, my voice would break in my throat. What to do…

Yusuke seemed to sense my inner turmoil, and he would glare at me occasionally, adding to my guilt. He was blaming me for not breaking it off with Tao. Ugh.

As far as I knew, Tao was living with Kurama. And Hiei apparently stayed at Kurama's often too. I could no see that turning out well. And just weeks later, I found out that it certainly hadn't.

One day, while Yusuke was at school, and Atsuko was out with a new boyfriend. I was taking care of the apartment, when I heard a quiet but firm knock on the door. Curious, I opened it, coming face-to-face with Hiei. I swallowed a gasp of surprise. Trying to act as stoic as possible, I turned away from him, beckoning him to come in. He closed the door behind him. I walked to the kitchen to make tea.

"You don't have to do that," he said softly. I sighed, turning around to face him.

"Is there something I can help you with, Hiei?" I asked, trying not to betray any emotions I was feeling. I was so happy to see him again, but already seeing him had ripped open the wounds he had caused.

He reached over and stretched the neck of my shirt to reveal the pale pink scar from the raid. "I'm glad it healed," he commented dryly. I frowned.

"Hiei, what are you doing here?" I asked again, less polite this time.

Hiei closed his eyes for a moment. "Tao…Told me you're dating him."

"So what if I am?" I replied icily. "I don't see how that's really any of your business."

"But _why_?" Hiei snapped. "You barely know him."

"That's not true," I said. "He's a childhood friend. That black-haired girl from the vision? That was _me."_

"That's still not the reason. Tell me, Tera, why?!" Hiei slammed his hands on either side of my head, so I couldn't escape.

"Because!" I yelled angrily. "He's nothing like you! He doesn't hurt me, he's kind and caring! That's why!" I hated my words. And I wished I hadn't said them immediately after. Hiei's expression was pained, and it seemed like he didn't really understand. His eyes were scouring my face, searching for something I didn't know. He leaned towards me, pressing his lips against mine fiercely. The kiss wasn't sweet like Tao's, but it was so much better. My heart began to pound painfully in my chest. I was disappointed when he pulled away.

"I don't like seeing you hurt," he whispered, his warmth breath mingling with mine. "I wish I could protect you from pain, and heal your scars, but I can see it's not my place."

He stepped away from me and walked out of the apartment, leaving me shocked and confused.


	12. Chapter 12

I faked illness the next few days so that Tao wouldn't come and visit. I didn't really think I could handle seeing him after what had happened between Hiei and I. But that had been the defining factor. I knew I needed to break up with Tao, as soon as possible, even if I couldn't be with Hiei. Finally, I couldn't avoid it any longer, and I called Tao up.

"I need to see you as soon as possible," I said, not giving him the reason why.

"Okay," he replied. "I'll be over there in a jiffy. I have a present for you."

I swallowed guiltily at this information. I would feel so cruel if I dumped him right after he gave me a gift. I was such an awful person.

I paced around the apartment nervously, waiting for Tao to arrive. When he finally knocked at the door, I almost jumped out of my skin. Breathing quickly, I pulled open the door, and he stepped in. I closed the door behind me, leaning my back on it. I felt way too anxious to look Tao in the eye.

"Tao, there's something I need to talk to you about," I began. Before I could continue, Tao pressed a finger to my lips, silencing me.

"Before you say anything, let me give you your present." He reached inside a pocket of his jacket, and pulled out the little silver ring that he had been wearing the day we 'met.' He held it out to me, and I took it, confused.

"You don't remember it, do you?" He asked. I shook my head in confusion, and he sighed. "After Susano found out that we were hanging out so much, he gave this ring to me so I could protect you in case you were attacked. I think it used to hold some of his power, but ever since I lost my memory the power's been dormant. I managed to bum it off of Hiei when I told him it belonged to your brother."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I turned the ring in my fingers, admiring the beautiful red jewel. I suddenly realized why I thought the gem was so lovely. It was the same color as Hiei's eyes…

"Susano's ring?" I whispered softly. I slipped it onto my middle finger of my left hand. A perfect fit. "Are you sure I can have this?"

"Well, yeah. It's not my job to protect you anymore. It's Hiei's."

I looked up at him in shock. Sheepishly, he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Sorry, I should have told you before. I just hoped that you would forget your feelings for him and fall for me eventually. But I can see that isn't going to happen. So I won't force you to see me anymore."

Tears were flowing freely down my cheeks now. "I'm sorry," I cried, "I'm so sorry!"

Tao smiled, and ruffled my hair. "Can we at least still be friends?"

I tried my best to smile back, although I didn't think it quite worked. "Of course."

**************

Tao helped me to clean up after I finished crying so I could go see Hiei. He chatted about his plans to get a decent job and rent an apartment, possibly in this same building. When I was presentable, I thanked him, and ran as fast as I could to Kurama's house, which was quite a ways away. I didn't know how lucky I would be, but if Hiei were there…

I pounded on the door, bending over to catch my breath as Kurama opened it, looking perplexed.

"Is…Hiei…here?" I gasped.

Kurama shook his head. "No, I haven't seen him for a couple of days. Come in, though, I'll get you something to drink."

Although I didn't want to waste time here when I could be out looking for Hiei, I politely followed Kurama into his house and collapsed on the couch. Kurama brought me a glass of cool water, and I gulped it down.

"Do you need him for something?" Kurama asked.

"Yes," I replied, nodding. "I need to tell him that I love him." If I hadn't been so panicked about finding him, I doubted I ever would have said that. Kurama certainly looked surprised, anyway. Or at least he did until he started to laugh.

"Is that so? Well I am sure he'll be happy to hear that. You know what? Check the temple and the forest. He likes to hang around there."

I bowed gratefully to Kurama, and ran out of the house. He was still chuckling.

**************

"Hiei!" I yelled, loud as I dared in the forest surrounding Genkai's temple. This forest wasn't the safest place for humans, and I didn't want to become something's dinner when I had just found the courage to tell Hiei my feelings.

This forest was beautiful, even if it was creepy. Sometime, I would really have liked to take more time to explore it, but I was in far too much of a hurry to do so right now. I raced through the trees, searching for Hiei's aura and calling out his named every so often. No luck. Although I did manage to earn a couple of scratches, courtesy of the tree branches. But I didn't care.

I finally gave up, and ran up the stairs to the temple, taking them two at a time. I grabbed at the stitch in my side, racing towards the temple. I saw someone leaning over the garden.

"Yukina!" I cried, skidding to a halt. Yukina looked up at me in surprise.

"Tera? What's wrong?" She asked in worried confusion. I saw a trowel in her hands. Huh. Gardening was the perfect hobby for her. I imagine that the flowers thrived under her touch. But I had no time to be thinking about this.

"Nothing's wrong. Where's Hiei? I need to talk to him." I said quickly.

"Why? Has something happened?" A deep voice asked. In shock, I spun to look at the entrance to the temple, where Hiei was standing, leaning against the door. I broke into a smile when I saw him.

"No! Well, yes, but nothing bad!" I replied, jogging towards him. I reached out, and touched his arm. Images burst into my mind with mind-splitting intensity.

Hiei was standing next to me with a hand on my arm, and as far as I could tell, we were just talking. I looked troubled, and it almost seemed like he was trying to reassure me. I almost was crying, but trying to hold it back for his sake. He looked surprised, and let go of my arm. My eyes widened in shock and I suddenly pushed him away, attempting to run. But he wouldn't let me. He held on to me, keeping me close no matter how much I struggled. And then it came. A handsome, obviously inhuman man appeared in the corner of my vision, and I began to scream, trying anything I could to get Hiei away from this new guy. Hiei only looked confused, but not for long. A moment later, his expression turned into one of shock and pain. I looked down, and saw a rather broadsword that had pierced right through him. He looked into my eyes one last time, and then dropped to the ground. I could feel his aura rapidly weakening…

I screamed as soon as I found myself able to. I threw myself back, falling off the small wooden ledge and smacking roughly into the ground. I gasped in horror as both Yukina and Hiei rushed over to me with expressions of shock and horror on their faces. I couldn't take my eyes away from Hiei. Oh god…I was going to get him killed!

"No!" I yelled when he reached out to help me. He froze, bewildered and hurt.

"What did I do?" He asked quietly. I couldn't answer him.

"Stay away!" I yelled fiercely. My head hurt terribly, but it also felt empty. I felt light, and yet, and the same time, heavier than ever before.

Hiei knelt next to me, his hand on my shoulder. "Did I do something to make you hate me?" Hiei whispered.

"No!" I screamed, hysterical. I held my hands to my head, and shook it violently. "No, no, no, no, no!"

Yukina crouched down by me, using her healing power to see if I was hurt. I glanced up at her, and she gasped in surprise.

"Tera! Your eyes…They've changed color!"

I blinked rapidly in surprise, leaning away from the both of them. I couldn't see the change, but from the looks of it, both Hiei and Yukina could. "How…?" I breathed quietly, afraid to know the answer.

Hiei's fingers lightly brushed against my cheek below my right eye. "It's…Brown. They're both dark brown. The gold is gone."

Oh no…This was awful! The strange gold in my eye was where I had gotten all my psychic powers from. That last premonition must have been strong enough to completely wipe out all my powers…This was not good!

I tried to scramble to my feet, away form Hiei and Yukina, but I only succeeded in falling backwards again.

"Tera…" Hiei reached out a hand to me, "Please, what's wrong?"

"I can't!" I shrieked. "You'll die!"

Hiei and Yukina both froze in place. "What…?" Hiei asked.

"I saw it!" I sobbed. "You were dying!"

"Come on," Hiei said, grabbing my wrist and gently pulling me to my feet. We walked a distance from Yukina, and I tried my hardest to stifle my tears.

"Nothing bad is going to happen," Hiei said. "I promise."

I glared at him. "You don't think so? I saw it. Do you know how awful it was to see you die?"

Hiei looked at me curiously. "Why should you care that much?"

I scowled. "You three-eyed idiot," I snapped. "You can't tell? I'm in love with you. That's why. Thanks a lot."

Hiei dropped his hand from my arm. "You're what…?" He asked in surprise.

Oh no. This situation was suddenly very familiar. "No!" I screamed, roughly shoving him away from me. I tried to get away from him, hoping that the demon that killed him was after me, and would be satisfied with killing only me.

Oh no. I was acting out the premonition exactly as I had seen it. No! This way, Hiei was going to die!

I had never deliberating changed the future as I had seen it. But now I was going to. Spinning around so abruptly that it alarmed Hiei, I threw my arms around him. I held on to him tightly, and I saw his eyes widen in horror and he tried to push me away. I kept embracing him, until I heard a step on the dirt path behind me. I threw Hiei away from me, just in time to receive a sword through my gut. Hiei, swearing horrendously, leapt around me and lunged at my attacker. I turned around to face him, and he came back to me in time to catch me as I collapsed.

"Tera!" He yelled, while Yukina rushed to my side and attempted to heal me. I could tell by her teary eyes that it wasn't working.

"Good," I sighed, closing my eyes. I didn't really feel much pain, which probably meant I really was dying. Well, this was everyone's dream, right? To die in the arms of the one you loved? I certainly didn't mind.

I reached up to touch Hiei's cheek. He looked so sad, that it felt like it was breaking my heart. I smiled, trying to reassure him that this wasn't as bad as he seemed to think. But I couldn't hold on anymore. I closed my eyes, letting my hand fall. I slipped peacefully into the afterlife.

* * *

The heroine died...

Anyways, I'm so sorry it took so long to post this. College is crazy...


	13. Chapter 13

I walked through the halls of the large palace. Wow, it was so lovely here…Hard to believe this was a place only the dead had the privilege of seeing.

The ferry girl who was escorting me, Hinageshi, showed me to a room where a small boy, not much older than a baby, was sitting at a desk, signing papers and giving orders to the ogre employees. Hingeshi bowed and introduced me. The boy's eyes narrowed in sorrow at the sight of me.

"Amaterasu…" He greeted me. "I had hoped I wouldn't see you for a long time, yet…"

I bowed respectfully. He may look young, but I got the feeling that he was the head honcho around here. "I'm sorry, sir…But how do you know me?"

The boy smiled. "I'm Lord Koenma. I'm Yusuke's boss. I've heard a lot about you from him and his friends."

"Oh," I said in surprise. I had known that Yusuke was working for the underworld, but I hadn't known anything about his employers. I bowed again. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Koenma sighed, and held up a sheet of paper, reading it. "Well," he said, "it's time to assign you to your afterlife. Considering the good you've done in your life with helping your brother defeat demons, you're eligible for paradise."

"Paradise…" I laughed. "I don't know if it's going to be paradise without Hiei, but at least I know he's safe, and alive."

Koenma didn't answer. He just stamped something on my paper, and beckoned to a dark-haired, kimono wearing beauty behind his desk. She approached me.

"Ayame will take you to your rightful place."

Ayame escorted me through a door, where everything was soft and fuzzy-looking. This didn't look so bad. I smiled and thanked her, and walked down the pathways. There were small, Japanese-style houses lined in rows. Only some of them had name plates by the doors, which meant that they were the occupied ones. I walked until I found an empty one that I liked. There was nothing inside. No furnishings, or nothing. I wondered if there was a store or something here.

"This'll do," I said out loud. Then, before my very eyes, all sorts of furniture shimmered into existence. Everything I would have wanted or needed. I darted outside, and saw a nameplate on the house now, one that said _Okami._ I blinked in amazement, before going back inside. How pleasant…Maybe it wouldn't be as hard to be here than I had thought. I wondered how long it would take to forget Hiei…

**************

It was hard to keep track of time in paradise. There was no sun, only a constant, hazy grey light. The one thing I didn't have in my house was a clock. It was slightly irritating, but I suppose this way, time would pass by much faster. I doubted I would ever see Hiei again, because I didn't think demons could go to paradise, no matter how much good they had done in their lives. I was extremely depressed to think that, but what could I do?

Once, I heard a knock at my door. Curiously, I got up from the chair I had been sitting in, and walked to the door. I had met a few of my neighbors, but none of them seemed like the types that would come and visit me. I opened the door.

"Tera!"

I gaped in shock at who I saw. "Susano?" I squealed, throwing my arms around him. "How'd you find me?!"

"One of my friends told me that they saw another house with the Okami name. I was hoping that it was you."

I raised my eyebrow. "You were hoping I was dead…?" I replied. He laughed.

"No, you're right. I wasn't hoping that. But, I thought, that if there was any of our relatives dead, I'd prefer to see you here." He gave me a small smile. "How did you die, Tera?"

I sighed, going back inside my house. Susano followed me. "I was protecting the one I loved. It wasn't so bad."

Susano frowned sympathetically. "Maybe it wasn't bad for you, but I bet he's not too happy."

I shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like he loved me back or anything."

"I'm sorry."

I didn't actually mind that much. Maybe being dead was better than living a life where I was in love with Hiei, and he didn't feel the same. I don't know. I hadn't been given much time to think that through.

Susano talked for a long time. I told him all about Tao, Hiei, Yusuke, and the others. Everything we'd been through. It had only been a few months, but it felt like an eternity.

"I'm glad," Susano said, after I had finished my story. "It sounds like you were taken care of pretty well in life."

"Very well," I replied. I did miss them all quite a bit. But I might eventually see Kuwabara, Keiko, and Atsuko here someday…

**************

Susano visited me often over the time since I'd been dead. He allowed me my personal space, but I still got to see him quite often. When there was a knock on my door one day, I wasn't surprised.

"Coming!" I called, running to the door to meet Susano. Only, when I opened the door, he wasn't the one there.

"Ayame!" I said in surprise. I backed away so she could come in, and hurried to the kitchen to boil water for tea. Yes, even though I was dead, I could still enjoy human comforts like food.

"How are you doing, Amaterasu?" Ah yes. She was another one who wouldn't call me by my nickname. I smiled.

"Great!" I said brightly. "I can see why this is called paradise."

Ayame smiled sadly. "Are you sure about that?"

I sighed, my smile slipping off my face instantly. "Well, I assume you know what I'm going to say. You know, the whole 'it'd-be-better-if-Hiei-was-with-me-thing.'"

Ayame smiled pleasantly. "Well, I can help with that."

I froze. "What…?"

Ayame approached me. "You've been given another chance at life. It's your choice to accept it, though."

"Another chance at life?" I repeated. "How is that possible?"

Ayame's smile hinted that she had a big secret. "You'll find out if you choose to accept."

I wanted to live again. More than anything I think I've ever wanted. To see Hiei…

"But Susano…" I said slowly. It had been so wonderful to be with him, so how could I lose him again?

"It's your choice," Ayame said. "You can have as long as you want to decide. I'll be ready when you do."

She turned and left my house.

* * *

Ugh. I'm sorry it's taken so long to post this. I've been unbelievably busy. Hope you enjoy!


	14. Chapter 14

I ran towards the general direction of Susano's house. I didn't know exactly where it was, but I had the gist of it.

What was I going to tell him? I hadn't even made my choice yet. I wanted to stay with Susano, but all of my new friends in life…

"Tera? What are you doing here?" Susano's puzzled voice asked. I stopped short of the house I'd just been about to pass. He was leaning over a garden full of flowers. I smiled slightly. He'd always loved gardening.

"Sorry," I panted (yeah, apparently dead people _can_ run out of breath), "but there's something I need to talk to you about."

Susano put down the pruning shears he was carrying and walked over to me. "Is everything alright?"

I sighed. "I don't know. I was hoping…You could help me figure it out."

"Of course. Come in."

Susano's house was much different than mine. More practical, with far less decorative trinkets. Manly, and boring. He showed me to a pair of comfy chairs, and went to fetch tea. My mind was in turmoil over what I needed to tell him.

"Okay, talk to me, Tera." He said. I bit my lower lip, unsure of how to begin. He smiled, recognizing that as when I didn't know what to say. "Come on, you can talk to me."

I sighed, trying to let go of all my anxiety. "I'm…I've been giving another chance."

His eyes lit up. "At life? This is great, Tera!"

He was so excited, but I couldn't share his enthusiasm. I brought my knees up to my chest.

"Tera, what's wrong?" Susano came over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "Do you not want to live again?"

"Well, I do…But then I don't." I answered, my words slightly muffled when I buried my head in between my knees. "I don't…Because you're not there. But I do…Because _he's_ there."

Susano stuck a finger under my chin and forced me to look up at him. "But I'll still be here when you die again. Because you will, most definitely. However, being given a chance to be alive again…And to be with the one you love…That might not ever happen again."

"You sure?" I asked him sheepishly. He smiled brightly.

"Well, duh. Now, give me a hug. I think there's someone else here to see you."

I peeked around in surprise to see Ayame standing by the front door, smiling at me. Well, I guess I had made my decision…I threw my arms around Susano, before trotting off to follow Ayame. I made sure to imprint an image of Susano's smile on my memory to keep until I saw him again.

**************

The oar ride back to Lord Koenma's magnificent palace was pleasant. Ayame told me that it was only enjoyable because she was the one driving. If someone like, say, _Botan_, were to be taking me back…Well, I might die of a heart attack the second I was resurrected. Within minutes, I was once again standing before Koenma's desk. He smiled at me.

"Welcome back, Tera."

I bowed. "It's good to be back."

"Well," he said, all business-like, "you don't have to waste any time here. I can get you sent back to life right away. Don't worry, they haven't buried or cremated your body."

"Good to hear…" I didn't want to know what would have happened if I _had_ been cremated. Would I be forced to re-inhabit a pile of ashes? Or given a new body altogether? Anyways, none of that mattered now. I graciously thanked Koenma, bowing once again. As a response, he blew a puff of dust in my direction. I only wondered the reason for this for a moment, before I began to glow, and the room around me became fuzzy.

"Do you want to know who made it possible for you to be brought back to life?" Koenma called as I began to disappear.

"Yes!" I cried. I wasn't sure if he heard me, because to me, my voice sounded hazy and distant.

He smiled a moment before answering.

"Hiei."

**************

Whoa…Disorientation, major. I felt woozy, like I had just woken up from a year-long nap. Which, as far as I knew, was how long it had been. I shook my head to try and clear the fog to no avail.

"Tera!" A loud voice cried. Too loud. Suddenly, it felt like I had a hangover.

"OW!" I yelled, as someone literally jumped on me. I fell back on the bed and blinked a few times before my vision was clear enough that I recognized my attacker.

"A-Atsuko?" I gasped, finding myself quite out of air.

"You're alive again!" She shrieked. "Just like my Yusuke! Isn't this wonderful?!"

I saw Yusuke standing behind Atsuko, watching her nearly smother me. _Alive again_? I mouthed to him. He smiled a gave me an expression that said, 'I'll explain later.'

Yusuke, Atsuko, Yukina, Kuwabara, Tao, and Kurama were all in attendance…But not Hiei. My heart fell in disappointment. He'd been the one person I'd been most eager to see again. I didn't want to ask where he was, because I didn't want to know the answer. However, my expression must have given my feelings away, because Kurama smiled that famous foxy smile of his, and pulled me up off the futon I had been lying on. He began to take me somewhere.

"Where are we going?" I asked him in confusion. I still felt the aftereffects of being dead, and I didn't know if I was up to walking at this point. But still, he only took me down the hall to another room. I didn't quite recognize this place, but I figured it must be his. He pulled open the door and flicked on the lights, showing me inside.

Hiei was lying, fast asleep (or maybe passed out was a better term) on the window sill. His black clothes were in tatters and covered with his own blood. I could see scratches and bruises on almost every part of his exposed skin. He looked awful! I spun around to Kurama.

"Kurama, what…?" I asked, wanting an explanation. Hiei looked worse than I did, and I'd been dead for who knows how long!

Kurama smiled, apparently unperturbed by my alarm. He pointed at the unconscious fire demon. "_He's_ the one who endured Koenma's excruciating trials to bring you back to life. Apparenlty, they are ruthless tests that only demons have a hope for surviving, and he barely did. He's the one you have to thank for being alive again."

I covered my mouth with my hands, on the verge of tears. Hiei had done this…for _me?!_ I walked into the room, pulling a chair up beside the window sill. I took one of his bloody hands in my own, laid my head on the window sill. I was so…Tired…


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

When I woke up, someone was stroking my head, kind of like being petted. Confused, I glanced up to see Hiei awake and staring out the window, one of his hands on the top of my head. He felt me move and looked down at me.

"Welcome back, Tera." He said softly. "You look awful."

I had been on the verge of smiling at him and confessing my love, but now…I pouted, glaring playfully at him. "I've been dead for a while. What's _your_ excuse?"

He laughed. "I've been rescuing you from the dead. No thank you?"

I smiled and reached up to put my hand on his cheek, one of the only places that wasn't badly cut. "Thank you," I whispered.

He gave me a sweet smile, and caressed my hand with his. "It was worth it. Hey," He stared at me closely. I felt myself blushing. "Your eyes. They're different colors again. Brown and gold. Looks like you've got your powers back."

"Oh!" I said so suddenly Hiei jumped back in surprise. "I was going to tell you something, but I died before I could!"

Hiei frowned, but not in a bad way. "I'm listening."

I grinned. "I love you."

He looked like he didn't believe it. But then one corner of his lips tilted up in a half-smile. He leaned close to me, closing his eyes. "It's good to know."

**************

The sun was so fantastically warm as it fell on my face. I closed my eyes, lifting my head up to the sky. I felt a slight touch on my hand and opened my eyes.

Deep red eyes stared into mine. I smiled, twisting around my hand to hold his.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. My smile only widened.

"Of course not. Everything is too wonderful for words." I pretended that I didn't seem him roll his eyes at the cheesiness of it.

I knelt to the ground and placed a single sunflower on the grave. I wished I could have brought some incense and offerings, but I don't think Susano needed those things. I got to my feet just as Hiei dropped to his knees. I frowned at him curiously. He waved me off.

"You can leave," he said a little harshly. But he wasn't saying it to be mean. He was nervous...But about what?

I obeyed and walked a little further down the rows of tombstones, pretending to read the names. I perked up when I heard Hiei clear his throat to speak.

"Er...Susano?" He said awkwardly. If Hiei wasn't making such a serious effort, I would have probably laughed. I waited for him to continue.

"I'm...uh, Hiei. I'm a friend of Tera's...No, that's not right." His voice suddenly grew louder, more confident. I felt kind of jittery with excitement for what he was going to say. "Truth is, I'm in love with her. And she feels the same. I want to be with her and take care of her for however long she lives. Will you give your sister to me?"

My heart was thumping so loudly that I didn't know if I'd be able to hear anything else he said. But luckily he stopped, seemingly waiting for an answer. But nothing came. At least not to him. I closed my eyes and rocked back slightly as a premonition leapt into my mind. When it was done, I smiled and walked up behind Hiei. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"He says yes. And I do, too."

Ever since Susano had died, I'd felt lost in darkness. But when I'd met Hiei, hope had started to grow, until it had become as bright as a burst of stars.

And now the man responsible for this was going to stay in my arms forever.

* * *

Sorry, guys. I couldn't think of a really satisfactory ending...If I think of something better, I'll change it.

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the story! Sorry for not updating for so long. Thank you for your support!

Lark


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